least - definition and synonyms

What are red words?

90% of the time, speakers of English use just 7,500 words in speech and writing. These words appear in red, and are graded with stars. One-star words are frequent, two-star words are more frequent, and three-star words are the most frequent.

Thesaurus

The thesaurus of synonyms and related words is fully integrated into the dictionary. Click on the thesaurus category heading under the button in an entry to see the synonyms and related words for that meaning.

Related words

Least is the superlative form of little and can be used in the following ways:

as a determiner (followed by an uncountable noun): He generally takes the path of least resistance. (after ‘the’): ♦ These farming methods cause the least damage to the environment.

as a pronoun (without a following noun): People will choose the product that costs least. (after ‘the’): ♦ Abe works the hardest, yet he earns the least. (followed by ‘of’): ♦ That’s the least of my problems.

as an adverb (after ‘the’ and before an adjective): I think you are the least suitable person for the job. (followed by an adverb): ♦ Production was slowest where time was least efficiently used. (with a verb): ♦ She was kind to me when I least expected it. (after ‘the’ with a verb): ♦ The money seems to go to the people who need it the least.

as an adjective: At the least sign of trouble, he gets scared and quits.